Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/278977
Scripture reveals to us the God who alone is real and who alone possesses real power— power that is to be revered and on which we depend for everything. Thankfully, however, God's power goes hand-in-hand with the fullness of His character: His love, holiness, justice, and goodness. Dr. Don Payne PRESIDENT'S LETTER Mark Young, PhD PRESIDENT ENGAGE 3 "Can God really do this? Is He strong enough, powerful enough to get us out of this mess?" I suspect that many of us have asked questions like that. I have. So did a lot of the heroes of our faith. Moses wondered aloud if God was strong enough to rescue His people from the grip of the most powerful nation on earth at that time, Egypt. I suspect that Daniel also had moments of doubt about whether God had the power to rescue him and his fellow Jews from the bowels of Babylon, the most powerful kingdom during his lifetime. And what about Jesus' disciples? Do you think they questioned whether God was powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead after He had seemingly failed to protect Him from death at the hands of the Romans, the dominating rulers of the first century? God cannot redeem if He is not more powerful than the forces holding His people in bondage. He could not rescue Israel, restore His exiled people, or raise His Son from the dead if He were not more powerful than the strongest nations, the biggest armies, and the stranglehold of sin, evil, and death on all humanity. But He is strong enough to rescue. And He did redeem His people. And He has conquered sin, evil, and death in the resurrection of His Son. Jeremiah had every reason to doubt God's power as he watched Babylon destroy his beloved city and nation. Instead, he confessed an unwavering faith in God's power to redeem and to restore. "Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You" (Jer. 32:17). Not even the redemption of rebellious humanity from the oppression of sin and the specter of eternal death is beyond God's power. That's why Denver Seminary's mission is so critical, preparing men and women to engage the needs of the world with the redemptive power of the gospel.